Cjelina 6: Pokloni i suveniri
⚙️ 6 | 2 | Lekcija 1: Mislimo na druge – Gramatika
The Dative Case
The Dative case might seem tricky because the rules on when to use it are not very straightforward. Fortunately, the noun and adjective endings for the Dative case are identical to those used in the Locative, so you only have to learn them once. The Dative is most commonly used without prepositions as an indirect object, mostly describing to whom something is given or for whom something is done:
- Marko će kupiti čokoladu mami. [Marko will buy chocolate for his mom.]
- Luka će kupiti igračku sinu. [Luka will buy a toy for his son.]
- Maja će napisati e-mail prijatelju. [Maja will write an email to her friend.]
Confused by direct and indirect objects?
Consider sentences where the verb is followed by two nouns:
- The teacher shows the students pictures.
- Parents give the children toys.
Direct object
One of those nouns (highlighted in blue) will be the direct object; it directly receives the action of the verb. You can identify it by asking “whom” or “what” after the verb.
- Question: The teacher shows what?
- Answer: pictures. “Pictures” is the direct object (i.e., Accusative case).
In the second example, “toys” is the direct object. In the Croatian translation of these sentences, the direct object will be expressed by nouns in the Accusative case.
- Question: The parents give what?
- Answer: toys. “Toys” is the direct object (i.e., Accusative case).
Indirect object
The other noun following the verb in the example sentences is the indirect object. You can identify it by asking “to whom” or “for whom” after the verb.
- Question: Parents give toys to whom?
- Answer: Children. “Children” is the indirect object (i.e., Dative case).
Indirect objects express the beneficiary of an action. In the Croatian translation of these sentences, the indirect object will be expressed by nouns in the Dative case. Note: Because the Dative case expresses the idea of «to whom?» and «for whom?» an action happens, the case is often used with proper names.
Foreign names
Foreign names like Sonia and John will decline because they fit easily into typical Croatian declension patterns. If the foreign names do not fit into Croatian declensional patterns, they will not decline. For example, names like Rachel or Emme do not decline because they are women’s names that end in a consonant like a masculine noun (Rachel) or in a vowel other than -a (Emme).
Dative endings (singular and plural)
| Dative | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | prijatelj-u | prijatelj-ima |
| feminine | sestr-i | sestr-ama |
| neuter | sel-u | sel-ima |
The verb “moći”
The verb moći means to be able to, to have the possibility or permission to do something. It is a modal verb and is always followed by another verb in its infinitive form. The most frequent translation of the verb also implies the notion you can do something. You already encountered this verb in Unit 4.
| audio | pronoun | verb form |
|---|---|---|
| ja | mogu | |
| ti | možeš | |
| on/ona/ono | može | |
| mi | možemo | |
| vi | možete | |
| oni/one/ona | mogu |
As you can see, the verb has the same form in the 1st person singular (ja) and 3rd person plural (oni/one/ona). Usually the context of your speech will help the interlocutors understand who the conversation is about.
👨💻 Practice
What did we learn?
6.2.1 Zadatak 1: Pokloni
Look at the picture and choose the correct sentence that corresponds to a picture.
6.2.1 Zadatak 2: Kome što pokloniti?
Read the following statements for each person. It tells you what each family member likes. Then, read the sentences and indicate for whom each gift would be the most appropriate.
🤔 Tko što voli?
- brat > voli slušati glazbu
- mama > voli biti u prirodi
- sestra > voli ići u kazalište i voli gledati filmove
- tata > voli povijest i arhitekturu
6.2.1 Zadatak 3: Kome ćeš pokloniti…?
Who is the intended recipient? Read the sentences and indicate who will receive a gift. Mark on for any masculine noun recipient, ona for feminine noun recipients, or oni for any plural nouns recipients).
6.2.1 Zadatak 4: Kome?
Read the following statements for each group of people. It tells you what each group likes. Then, read the sentences and indicate for whom each gift would be the most appropriate.
- roditelji > vole operu
- prijetelji > vole jesti i piti kavu
- sestre > vole književnost
- braća > vole kuhati
- djeca > vole čokoladu
6.2.1 Zadatak 5: Što možemo kupiti?
The verb moći: Read the following sentences and indicate who is the subject in each sentence. Remember that a 3rd person singular and plural have the same form.
6.2.1 Zadatak 6: Review
Choose the correct statement.
Media Attributions
- Cultural products of the region © Tako lako is licensed under a CC BY-SA (Attribution ShareAlike) license
- Croatian products © Tako lako is licensed under a CC BY-SA (Attribution ShareAlike) license
